-
My Two-and-a-Half Year Maternity Leave in the Czech Republic
In mere days, the curtain falls on my two-and-a-half year long maternity leave here in the Czech Republic. It was everything I had hoped it would be and more. How it actually works is that there is a six-month-long maternity leave if you are an employee (read: not a freelance worker) that you are granted through your organization and the state, then after this six month period you previously got to choose a two, three or four year parental leave which can be divided or taken by either parent. For the purposes of this post and because I am the parent who took the leave, I will refer to it…
-
Week 49-52 of 2024 (Year in Review) – Year of Life and Travels
Wow, y’all. The year 2024, the year in which I had a one and a half year old to now a two and a half year old was not a great year to try to blog more – big oopsies to try something ambitious as blogging every week but I tend to be the type to say yes to too much, bite off more than I can chew and all that. It’s not for lack of trying! In October things heated up when M stopped napping and I am fairly confident that I say that never in my life have I ever had less free time than I do now.…
-
Week 45-48 of 2024 (Year in Review) – NOVEMBER + Reflecting on Being in the Czech Republic for 12 Years
Been thinking a lot about this whole life adventure this blog is named for lately, which is something I do obviously quite a lot, maybe too much. But I think, now, after twelve years of living here, for right now I’ve made peace with the fact that this, this right here, the adventure that I named this blog after thinking it was just, well, an adventure is actually my honest-to-god real life. It took me twelve years to get to this realization or at least feel it fully. I’ve lived in Ceske Budejovice in this flat longer than in any one residence in my entire life. It’s getting real. This…
-
Weeks 40-44 of 2024 (Year in Review) – OCTOBER, Lately
When I tell you why I couldn’t manage a Week in Review post last month, please believe me when I tell you that the situation was as dire as they come — my dear two-year-old son decided to go on a nap-strike. After fourteen beautiful months of napping gloriously since he was an infant, those days are over. There has never been a bigger fuss at the merest idea of having quiet time or a nap. The kid has made his position completely clear and will only fall asleep in the day when completely bored or exhausted in the pram. For anyone who doesn’t have kids, just imagine that for…
-
Germany and Denmark’s North Sea Coast (with a Two-Year-Old)
Long-time readers know we typically go to the USA every other summer. That means that this year we were invested in staying in Europe and traveling somewhere with our two-year-old, but unlike past years, deciding on the place wasn’t an easy task. We were thisclose to pushing “purchase” on plane tickets to France (specifically Normandy) but at the last minute we decided not to do it. Although this is a place we’d really like to visit, going there means having to see all the sights, which in turn means very busy days and lots of driving. It sadly did not sound relaxing with a toddler… not to mention the Olympics…
-
Week 38 & 39 of 2034 (Year in Review)
The middle weeks of September were challenging, to say the least. I first saw some inklings that there was a very severe weather event blowing our way mid-week 38 and when the rains came, they came. They arrived. It started raining sometime on Thursday and didn’t stop until later on Monday. Not only does that seem like a downer, everyone was predicting it would flood and there were warnings to prepare for floods at the level of 2002 or 2012. We filled all fillable containers in our house, made sure all bathing and washing of anything was done and felt nervous the entire weekend as I anxiously monitored the situation…
-
Week 36 & 37 of 2024 (Year in Review) — Summer’s Over!
I knew that the first weekend of September, according to the weather forecast would be that sparkling, shiny last true summer weekend here in South Bohemia and boy, did I plan accordingly. We spent the week preceding it doing all the last fun warm weather things you do before you know you won’t have that kind of summer freedom anymore: taking our little one to the zoo (it was too hot to see many animals but we had fun anyway) and to Dívčí kámen for a picnic and to splash about in the creek near Hamr. The last summer Saturday we spent “camped out” at a nearby riverside park, enjoying…
-
Week 33, 34 & 35 of 2024 (Year in Review)
August was hot! To my surprise upon returning from our trip to Germany and Denmark on August 11th, I kind of assumed, you know that this whole “heat thing” would be done; probably because I’m used to returning here in September. But haha no, of course there was plenty more heat left of the summer. The first week back (Week 33) was slightly but despairing until I found my stride and realized it won’t actually last forever. Now, even though it’s still very hot in September, I’ve learned some things about heatwaves and want to share some heatwave tips! Tips for Surviving a Heatwave (when you have no AC) First…
-
Week 31 & 32 of 2024 (Year in Review) – On Holiday in Germany with a Two Year Old
August is nearly finished and we’ve recently returned from a two-week trip to Germany and Denmark: through Berlin for a few nights, up to the North Sea coast (North Frisia) at the German-Denmark border for over a week, and then a couple cushion days in Brandenburg to break up the long way back from our overland (train) journey. Although some friends are calling this trip “ambitious” or “courageous” because of traveling mainly without a car with our toddler and dog, we ended up choosing this destination in the end because I’ve been wanting to go to the German coast for ages. not to mention my love of Germany and getting…
-
Week 29 & 30 of 2024 (Year in Review)
It’s time to go on vacation! I haven’t been on a vacation or holiday really since last summer in the USA so I am so looking forward to heading to Germany and Denmark for the next two weeks. Boy, would I benefit from a change of scenery, as nice as summer is in South Bohemia. It’s funny: when you tell a Czech, American or most anyone that you’re headed to Germany’s North Sea coast for your summer holiday, you’re met with shrugs or polite interest. When you tell a German that you’re headed there? Totally different – they are really excited for you! I think that’s how I know I…
